Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Dorothy Gordanier who reached 100 years of age in November passed away February 23rd. She is pictured here with her daughter Tenny with a sign from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Dorothy listed her house on the National Register of Historic Places July 2003.

The basement is said to have been built in 1809 by the Parmeter family who owned the land and operated the first sandstone quarry. A beehive oven and original hand wrought iron crane and hooks remain true to the structure. The root cellar shelves are built-in slabs of sandstone. The main part of the house is built in the slab and binder method unique to Potsdam sandstone and the area.

A memorial service for Dorothy will take place this Saturday, March 19th at 11 AM at the First Presbyterian Church where Dorothy was an active member for nearly a century.

Dorothy and her husband Elmer ran the Potsdam Feed and Coal Company for many years. Dorothy graduated from Crane school of Music in 1931. Her maiden name was Jones. She spoke fondly of her father taking her and her sister to the silent pictures at the Star Theater on Raymond Street in a horse drawn sleigh when she was a small girl.

She donated many items to the museum over the years including two large fascinating scrapbooks of her years at the Potsdam Normal School during the Great Depression.